


Someone had to feed the turtle

by cmshaw



Category: due South
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-07-22
Updated: 2002-07-22
Packaged: 2017-10-05 08:29:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cmshaw/pseuds/cmshaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was obvious what Ray needed to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Someone had to feed the turtle

Benny called when they got back from Canada, of course, although at least half a dozen people had already come up to Ray at the station to tell him. The Feds brought them straight in from the airport and kept them for hours on end, so Ray had plenty of time to go home and get ready.

Home, for the last few weeks, had been the little apartment downtown. He'd got over there with the vague intention of looking around, of maybe checking for work papers or something that would justify a little tit-for-tat poking around into Kowalski's life, but he'd just...stayed. He'd managed to avoid getting into the subject with his family, meaning Ma, through some creative subject-changing, but it boiled right down to the fact that he'd moved out and they'd moved on. Frannie was running the household now, and scary as that thought was she was doing a pretty good job of it. Besides, Kowalski's life clutter held an endless sort of fascination for him that he wasn't sure how to explain, and _someone_ had to feed the turtle.

There was lasagna keeping warm in the oven and cold beer in the fridge when Benny and Kowalski finally staggered in through the front door. Ray let them drop their bags -- or rather, bag, one half-full duffle slung over Benny's shoulder -- and take the time to notice him, lounging at his ease on the sofa with a wineglass in his hand, and then he uncrossed his ankles on the coffee table and stood up. "Come on in," he said. "Make yourselves at home."

Kowalski looked at him blankly. "Vecchio?" he said. "What are you doing here?"

Ray smiled at him. He'd always thought of it as a business-like smile, until they'd taken him to Vegas and told him approvingly that it made him look like a hungry shark. "I live here," he said.

"No, I live here," Kowalski said, looking so tired and confused that Ray almost took pity on him.

Instead, he said, "Funny, because I didn't see your name on the lease, just mine and Benny's."

Kowalski blinked at him. Benny cleared his throat and said, "Well, that was merely for the sake of the subterfuge, you do understand. The 'Ray Vecchio' given on that document was, of course, the man at the time known as Ray Vecchio who is now known again as Ray Kowalski, while you were known by another name entirely for the duration."

Kowalski put a hand on his forehead and mumbled something that sounded rather like 'ow'.

Ray shook his head at Benny. "My name, my apartment." He stalked forward and circled Kowalski appraisingly. Kowalski locked his knees and put his chin up, trying to glare through blood-shot eyes. When Ray put a hand out and cupped the back of Kowalski's neck, Kowalski didn't even react, although Benny gave a small start. Ray kneaded gently at the knotted muscles in Kowalski's neck, and Kowalski's eyes drooped slightly as he leaned back.

Benny's eyes were wide now. Ray stared into them; he knew Benny and Kowalski were lovers. It had been obvious from the beginning that Benny had enthusiastically taken him up on the suggestion that they -- meaning, in practice, Benny -- date other people while Ray was undercover. It had been obvious that Benny and Kowalski were an item, too tight to break up for anything.

So it was obvious what Ray needed to do, and it was obvious that he had to do it immediately, before any other patterns were set.

"Did you bring him home for me?" Ray asked softly. "That was very thoughtful of you, Benny." Kowalski was still pushing back into the neckrub; Ray put his other hand on Kowalski's belt and pulled him in for a kiss. Kowalski opened his mouth for Ray immediately, bringing his hands up to clutch at Ray's arms for balance as Ray bent him backward, but his eyes flew open and he wrenched himself away after a moment or two.

"_Ray_," Benny said, hands open as if he didn't know who to grab or what to do if he did grab one of them.

Kowalski stepped back and looked at Benny uncertainly. "Fraser?" he said. "What the hell's going on?"

"I'd like to know that myself," Benny said, looking at Ray.

Ray grabbed his wineglass from where he'd left it on the coffee table and took a theatrically thoughtful sip. "I put dinner in the oven, but you're probably tired from the flight. You want food or a fuck first?"

Kowalski rubbed the back of his neck. "Um. Is that a trick question?"

Ray smiled again and took him by the hand. "No. Come on, let's go to bed." He jerked his head toward the bedroom. "You coming, Benny?"

Benny trailed after them. "Ray, I think there may have been a misunderstanding here."

"Maybe," Ray said, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it into the laundry basket with the rest of his dirty clothes, "but I think we've sorted it out now, haven't we?" He helped Kowalski wrestle his way out of his shirt and tossed that onto the laundry pile too.

"Fraser?" Kowalski said uncertainly. He'd put his arms around Ray's bare shoulders and sighed when Ray stroked a hand across his fly.

"It's okay, Benny," Ray said as gently as he could. "It's all right." He popped open Kowalski's jeans and reached inside, making Kowalski groan in relief. Kowalski still seemed half out of it, eager for Ray's hand on his cotton briefs but not awake enough to keep his eyes open. It was even odds, Ray thought, whether he'd be able to get Kowalski off before he passed out. He watched as Kowalski's hand fumbled out, reaching for Benny and clasping his hand tightly when he found him.

Ray pushed Kowalski's jeans and underwear down to his ankles and bent down to pull off his shoes. Kowalski sighed and wriggled his toes happily as Ray finished stripping him, and Ray stood up to find that Benny had lowered him onto the bed -- onto _Ray's_ bed that had been Kowalski's and Benny's not so long ago. Kowalski had sharp muscles and broad shoulders and enough rib and bony hip sticking out to make Ray think again of the lasagna in the oven. He looked at Benny, and Benny leaned forward to kiss him briefly. It was their first kiss in over a year, and then Benny stepped back and away from Kowalski while he pulled his tunic off. "Okay, Ray," he said.


End file.
